Article by: Carley Varley & Philip Garcia
Mindset tools for creative people

How many times a day do you clear your throat? 🤒

What if it was causing more damage than you thought?

Learn how to take better care of your most important instrument:

YOUR VOICE

• Table of Contents
  1. The Myth of Caffeine?
• 2. The Secret Powers Inside Ginger
• 3. When Should You Really Rest?
• 4. What does Lemon and Honey Do?
• 5. How to Fight it with Salty Water

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If you are feeling under the weather, your mind is probably a bit jaded. Your voice, like you, can get tired and so if you really do feel unwell, please rest and recover as gracefully as you can.

These natural remedies have saved me time from missing out on some of the most important stuff in my life. I hope it can help you too.

 1. The Myth and Mystery of Caffeine

What if I told you…

Tea and coffee are the worst drinks for your voice. Drinking these when you have a sore throat can restrict and agitate your throat even more. 😭

I drink 5-7 cups of tea (maybe more) a day, so I really struggle with this one. Instead of tea, I recommend having hot water and… well, keep reading to discover the secret.

This next one may hurt. 👀

Energy drinks and alcohol should be avoided too. You can end up damaging your voice badly. Even worse: your health.

2. The Secret Powers Inside Ginger

You can cut it up, grate it and even use it in cooking to soothe a sore throat. It has helped me many times when my voice has felt really awful. I often take a flask of boiling water and ginger to gigs to drink and voila it can soothe and somewhat neutralize a gravely throat.

The hotter, the better.

Well, not too hot! Honestly, the taste of ginger makes me cringe! So if you’re like me, try holding your nose. Drinking hot ginger is by far, one of the best natural throat remedies discovered to humans! Thank God.

3. When Should You Really Rest?

If you talk alot…

this tip may seem impossible however, voice rest is one of the BEST things you can do to recover faster. I often write on a white board to communicate with family and friends, not even speaking and certainly not singing. Texting 💬 📱may inevitably be your best friend.

So postpone your voice lessons and speaking activities for at least a week. Vocal rest is so key to making sure you don’t damage your vocal cords. Recovery times are different for everyone. Just listen to your body and refrain from speaking and singing if it’s painful.

4. What does Lemon and Honey Do?

Lemon and honey can calm the agitation and help that scratchiness in your throat.

This lovely combo is a true blessing. I have been drinking lemon and honey for years when I have had a sore throat. You can also add tip 2 and add ginger to your drink.

It is a very good remedy and if you need to sing and your throat is a bit croaky definitely drink this everyday before your gig, multiple times in a day. 

5. How to Fight it with Salty Water

This is my Favorite! 🤗

PLEASE: do not drink the salt water. Just fill a mug with boiling water, wait for it to cool, add salt and then gargle. It does wonders.

It is also recommended by doctors and of course the important people: mom and dad. When I lost my voice and had to sing at a festival gargling salt water gave my voice a bit more life. It tastes… hmm, kinda salty however, it really does the job. Salt has natural healing properties. And when you have the choice, go with the organic stuff!

Summary:

• 1. The Myth of Caffeine?
• 2. The Secret Powers Inside Ginger
• 3. When Should You Really Rest?
• 4. What does Lemon and Honey Do?
• 5. How to Fight it with Salty Water